Islamabad , Oct 30 (ANI): Pakistan s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has reportedly established that foreign nationals were the real target of the Marriott Hotel suicide attack on September 20, and claimed that they have identified the mastermind behind the attack and those who actually carried it out.

The investigation done so far rejected claims that the targets of the attack were the political leadership of the country, the Parliament House or the Prime Minister House.

The target of the attack was foreigners staying at the Marriott, The News quoted FIA D-G Tariq Pervaiz as saying. Pervaiz is the head of the joint investigation team probing the Marriott attack.

It was also learnt that the mastermind and some of his key facilitators were regular visitors to the Marriott Hotel where they had occasionally observed the presence of foreigners. A source said that even on the day of the attack, one of the collaborators visited the Marriott and reconfirmed the presence of foreigners.

Without disclosing the names of the mastermind and his key facilitator for the reason that it might delay their arrest, Pervaiz said that their arrests would possibly reveal more facts.

He said that in the near future the government might announce head money to apprehend them.

According to the paper, the attackers reportedly belonged to Al-Badar, Harkat-e-Jihad-e-Islami and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi while the mastermind was a resident of Peshawar . So far the authorities do not have evidence of the involvement of al-Qaeda or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in the attack that killed more than 70, including four foreigners, it added.

Meanwhile, a senior Pakistan Interior Ministry source also confirmed that the government had already been conveyed that the Marriott was chosen as the target for the worst ever suicide attack in Islamabad because of the presence of foreigners. (ANI)